International Paper Louisiana and Bastrop Mills

International Paper Louisiana and Bastrop Mills

Bastrop, LA

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In the 1920s, the Louisiana Mill and the Bastrop Mill were built by the Bastrop Pulp & Paper Company. In 1927, International Paper purchased the two mills. The Bastrop Mill (sometimes referred to as the “Old Mill”) was closed in 1982, and the Louisiana Mill continued to operate until 2008 and was later demolished in 2011.

Address or general location

Louisiana Mill

705 Colliers Lane

Bastrop, LA 71220

Bastrop Mill (“The Old Mill”)

Located near East Jefferson Road

Detail

When the Bastrop Mill and Louisiana Mill were built in 1921 and 1924, respectively, the Morehouse Enterprise reported that the mills would make Bastrop the “paper mill center of the whole South.” As one of the largest employers in Bastrop and the surrounding Morehouse Parish, International Paper employed hundreds of workers during its operation which spanned almost a century.

Over the years and in response to market demands, the mills produced a variety of products, including kraft paper and uncoated freesheet, such as office paper and envelopes. Toward the end of the Louisiana Mill’s operation, the mill was converted to 100% pulp products such as those used for tissue and towels as well as fluff pulp used for products such as diapers and personal hygiene products. The closing of the Louisiana Mill in 2008 adversely impacted the local community since International Paper accounted for more than a quarter of the Morehouse Parish’s economy. Although the mills had at one time employed as many as 1,100 workers, when the Louisiana Mill closed, the 550 workers who remained were left without employment.